Developed by Incognito Entertainment for the PS3, StarHawk is the successor to the PS3 game WarHawk. Warhawk was a semi remake/re-imagining of the original WarHawk PS1 launch title. The original WarHawk was a 3rd person flight game that pitted the player against an invading alien onslaught all by their lonesome. It was revolutionary for it’s time as were most PS1 launch titles.

The remake of Warhawk on PS3 was quite a bit different. Out was the single player mode. Incognito felt it just didn’t hold up to the multi-player section so they just straight dropped it. WarHawk still kept the 3rd person perspective, but added new things. You could run around as a trooper, drive a armored jeep, or hop into a Hawk and battle it out in the sky. If you’ve missed out on WarHawk…for shame. It still has a very large fanbase, and online community even after more than 4 years on shelves.

StarHawk is a in spiritual successor to Warhawk, and it adds some new things to the mix. First up is now you can build structures. Anyone can do so at any time within their team’s green zones, provided you have enough building blocks. You can build walls, auto turrets, jeep garages, jetpack hangers, Hawk platforms, sniping towers, armouries, large anti vehicle weapons, and an energy shield generator. Whew…that’s a lot, but in the BETA there are still two structures in the construct wheel that are blank, so expect that list to grow.

The great thing about building the different structures is that anyone on the team can use them. If you build a Hawk platform for instance, anyone can get a Hawk. All they need is two construct blocks and away you go. Also, the Hawks are done a bit different. Taking a Robotech-esq approach, the Hawks can be in one of two modes, the aerial vehicle mode or a bi-pedal ground mode. Which makes for some interesting tactics in capture the flag games.

In the BETA are just two maps and two gameplay modes. The modes you have are capture the flag and team deathmatch. As for the maps you get, they are two very different types. You have Acid Sea, an industrial island that is literally surrounded by a ocean of acid, and a Space Platform stage that gives great opportunities for aerial fun. For the buildings and spawning, you get drop pods. On the Respawn screen you get a top down view of the map and can choose where to spawn, then you rocket down to the map.

After selecting your construct you get a ghost outline of the structure that when it is green means you can build it right there. Then all you have to do is stand still, look up and you can see it coming down from the dropship to you. Spawning both yourself and your constructs can be used to kill enemy team players which is really satisfying when you pull it off.

I’ve played several BETA’s over the years, but in my opinion this one has changed the most while I played. Every day there seems to be a latest version to update to with generally no less than 4 major tweaks and changes that have been implemented due to player input. Everything from Hawk mobility, to jetpack durability. Most of the BETA’s I’ve played would generally let you play, give input, and add tweaks to the final product. So this BETA has been a huge breath of fresh air.

Final Judgement: If your a Plus member check this BETA out. If not there has been talk about a more open BETA soon, and if so then you definitely need to check this out.

So I picked up this game at Gamestop for about ten dollars –brand new– out the bargain bin a while back. For obvious reasons, GameStop just wants to get this product out of the store. And for all the horrible reviews Duke Nukem Forever has received, I had to see for myself if such overwhelmingly negative reviews were justified. Brace yourself.

The gameplay mechanics are OLD AND SERIOUSLY OUTDATED. Currently, gameplay mechanics are measured by such games as Halo or Call of Duty, and if a game doesn’t play anything like these games, you can almost certainly know it will be automatically received as being bad. This game plays like all the first person shooters that came out when this game should have come out, about eleven to thirteen years ago. Game intensity and difficulty ranges from calm and relaxing to ‘I want to pull my hair out’. As far as controls go, by today’s standards the controls are clunky at best. Don’t get me wrong, they are responsive, but nothing like what we have become accustomed to. There is no snap feature when it comes to locking onto a target, and no lock-on system whatsoever, with the exception of the rocket propelled grenade launcher, but then you have to manually keep the rectal on the target for a few seconds to get the lock. The multiplayer system suffers from the same outdated-ness. Multiplayer matches are limited to four-on-four no matter what mode you are playing.

The narrative of Duke Nukem Forever hurts the game a lot, but this could partly be due to the game going through several development teams. But honestly, it’s a Duke Nukem game and none of them have been known for their stories. When Duke was first introduced he was a parody of every seventy’s and eighty’s action hero. He’s muscled, kicks-ass, crude, and spouts a crap-ton of one liners. The game is filled with lots of moments of plain silliness.  For instance, on one stage Duke does nothing but go through his strip club finding items to get a lap-dance in a dream sequence. There are moments when it seems your going to have non-player character help, but these are basically cannon fodder and die almost as soon as any action picks up.

There are several places where the gameplay takes a change. A turret sequence, some vehicle driving, and a few places where Duke gets shrunk down and has to do some platforming to get around. The weapons are typical Duke. With many Duke mainstays like the trusty pistol, shotgun, RPG, and devestator, with the added weapons of a Shrink ray, and a freeze ray. You also get two types of throw-ables, the pipe bomb that you throw and then detonate with a car clicker, and a trip mine you can set onto any surface. The bosses are set to where only explosives can kill them so these, along with the explosive weapons are your only means to win.

Once you beat the game on normal you unlock the cheat extras. Which include Big Head, God Mode, Infinite Ammo, and more. Yet like all other games they disable trophy acquisition. Which may or may not matter as for the most part the replay value of the single player is a bit lacking on the whole.

For the multiplayer you have the normal game modes with some twists. Death-match and team death-match are called Duke Match and Team Duke Match. The capture the flag is Capture the Babe, which does have some interesting twists. You of course pick up the enemies Babe, but you lose the ability to use any of your weapons. You must instead use the single shot garter pistol the Babe has on her. She will make it hard for you as well by placing her hand in front of your face, but you can just press the button to spank her ass and she will move it away. The garter pistol is a one shot kill which is nice, but it has slow reload, and the lost of the snap feature does mean you have to use more skill. Your domination match is Hail to the King, where you must take the control points and do a Hail to the King while in the point.

You get quite a bit of customization as you progress through the multi-player. You get different hats, eyeware, and shirt logos to outfit Duke. Also added is the My Digs, that has furniture, games, and babes to unlock as you level up. Which makes wanting to progress through the multi-player a bit more intriguing as you get the ability to ogle the babes.  The maps are interesting. You get simple ones, and some that are really cluttered. Duke Burger map has all of you shrunk and running around the Duke Burger kitchen. It’s a very fun map, in that you have several ways to trap and kill other players with environmental hazards like the microwave, and dishwasher.

Unfortunately the main problem with the maps are the weapon placements. Some are hard to get to, and are set to where you can be a very easy target. Which can make it very frustrating to get the things you need to rack up your points, unless your the guy that gets them first and starts camping. Matches can be set up in various ways: limited weapons, infinite ammo, score counts, etc. As a side not, guys flying around with jetpacks wielding the devastator can just ruin your day.

Overall the game is enjoyable, and will give you a few good hours of playtime. The multi-player is actually a great way to hop online and just play for a few matches and then get off. It also has a huge plethora of challenges you can do that can rack up to big experience point rewards. Again if this game had come out when it was originally supposed to, the only thing that would have given it a run for it’s money would have been Doom 3. As is today, I really think they just put it out to get rid of it and maybe move on to something else.

For the original price it definitely wouldn’t have been worth looking at. At ten bucks or even five, like some Best Buys have done, you get what you pay for. A simple game that plays simple, gives you some fun moments, and has lots of crude humor, and gives you something to go “Damn” about.

It’s been five years since the last big boy console version of Zelda.  Count ‘em!  Now the obvious question here is, “Has Skyward Sword been worth the wait?” The easy answer is, “Absolutely!” But intense enjoyment is sometimes limited by the controls a gamer is given to play a game with.

You start the game through a tutorial, not unlike the previous two Zeldas (Twilight Princess and Wind Waker) to get the player adjusted to the controls. I would say that Link’s actions were on point initially except for rolling items, as sometimes the Wii remote didn’t pick up you holding the controller downwards for a swing.  This would be a small problem and not a big deal right?  Well, more motion control issues creep up.  Later in the beginning, you meet up with the “Divine One” and at some point, you lose her which begins the big adventure.

The story in Skyward Sword is much meatier than ever before, and so is Link’s facial expressions. I didn’t find Link to be boring at all. His actions and mannerisms gave more meaning to his character, as opposed to being just a plain-faced, green-clothed hero in times past. You actually get a great sense of his relationship with Zelda, the Master Sword’s beginnings, enemies–especially the big one, and other Skyloft –the main town– folk. The plot defines the origins of the series, and finally answers the question of why the series is called The Legend of Zelda, rather than The Legend of Link. I mean, how many of us have wondered that for years? Why are Link, Zelda, and “villain” nearly always tied together?

After learning how to run and pick up vases, Link eventually has to leave his bed and meet up with his mentor, Fi, the spirit of your sword.  Fi is this generation’s Navi (“Hey, Listen!“) and your guide throughout the game.

Dungeon design shines in this Zelda, even though Twilight Princess’s dungeons were a bit more “flashy”. One of the biggest complaints previously was the dungeons were too easy and non-boss enemies took too little damage. Well, that is fixed in this iteration. For instance, bats take a whole heart damage despite being one of the first enemies in the game. The developers really took Link’s health to “heart”, making some enemies much more harder than they would have been normally. Get use to the low-heart music, you’re gonna hear it a lot.

Puzzles are clever. Some may even take you a bit longer to solve than one would expect. In times like these, Fi is very helpful, although you may hear her sometimes repeating things she just told you a few minutes prior. Also, the dungeon map will prove to be a huge aide. You will find yourself using it more than usual to check your location and find areas that you have not explored before. There is a ton of ground to cover and the areas are quite large in some places.

To move the story along, you are presented with fetch quests (or even note quests as I call some of them). These can sometimes become a little tedious and are more-less hit and miss. Some will be fun and interesting –pirates–, while others will feel like a complete waste of time.

Somehow Nintendo found a good mechanism of introducing mini-dungeons into the mix. This increases player finish times, and also presents you with a bit more adventure.  You can expect to complete this game, depending on side quests, in 50 to 75 hours.  Of course, it’s not like you are just going to walk around the place for hours without seeing an enemy.

Enemies not only take a large portion of health now, but they’ve become harder to defeat. The key is to understand that your sword movements determine their reactions and defense poses. Once you have a good grip on that, you won’t find yourself dying as much. Needless to say, NO MORE WAGGLE –MWUHAHAHA! Waggle might work once every 3 hours, but if you want to minimize the number of deaths, learn how to properly use the Link’s sword movements.

However, there are sometimes cases of when you position/swing Link’s sword correctly, but somehow the enemy mysteriously blocks your attacks or your swipes do absolutely nothing when they should have caused damage. This is another case in which the motion controls are not exactly “spot on”. It can be VERY frustrating, especially against a certain crazy boss in the game who loves to attack you, but doesn’t like being attacked back apparently.

The topic of motion controls is a heated debate for the game and it’s my hope that Nintendo will try to improve the precision of sword swings/positioning before the Wii U version of Zelda is released.  Bosses and sub-bosses have been really well done, as you will use a fair share of fairies getting through fights. Old school items have been redefined too in an effective manner. You will find yourself using previous items in newer dungeons more than in earlier console versions.  My favorite item completely changes the area around you.  Literally.

The world that Link now lives in is becoming larger and larger with non-player characters having more serious and longer roles with every new version. There are many items to collect and plenty of side-quests in between dusty dungeons. Whether you’re searching for pumpkin soup or unlocked treasure chests, the music has been beautifully done –it’s fully orchestrated now instead of midi.  It’s not the best in the series, Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker had better music, but some scores like the main theme “Ballad of the Goddess” are on par.  I’m actually happy that they are moving away from the games being so wrapped around musical items. We have Wii Music if that’s what we wanted to play.  Even while I enjoyed flying through the skies on your trusty Skywing, nothing replaces the urgency and fun of riding on a freakin horse. Here’s hoping we go back to Epona in the next round.

In closing, there are definitely some improvements in the series like better enemies, redesigned items, more mini-dungeons, better story, and sound improvement. Problems would be the motion control precision of picking up your movements, slight invulnerability of certain enemies, and a reset of the item grab popups when you come back to the game from loading a save.  Despite the fact that Twilight Princess gave us the Link and realism we wanted, I think Skyward Sword is a more satisfying adventure.  There’s simply more to do and many elements that feel closer to older Zelda titles such as dungeon design and puzzles.  I do feel like something kept the game from being perfect.  Maybe there wasn’t enough towns–is this a recurring thing recently?  Or it could be the sometimes finicky controls.  But hey, it’s the Legend of Zelda.  Let’s raise up our swords to the sky and appreciate this game for the next four or five years.  LOL

All right Tekken fans, the next big installment of the Iron Fist is here. For those who don’t know, and I’m not surprised if you don’t, Tekken Hybrid is a bundle-pack of three separate pieces of media: Tekken Tag Tournament HD (Game), Tekken: Blood Vengeance (Movie), and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue (Game).

First up, is Tekken Tag Tournament HD. Tekken Tag Tournament, also known as TTT, is one of the keystone fighting games during the genre’s heyday. This iteration has almost every Tekken character showing up to represent, with the exception of Gon and Dr. Boskonovich, who were both guest/joke characters from the console version of Tekken 3. The core game-play is picking any two characters you want, in any combination you want, and beat the crap out of anyone you can. The game kept the basic engine of Tekken 3, while adding in the twists for the tag feature. You have tag launchers, tag throws, tag combos, and special tag moves depending on the your choice of characters relationship. With over twenty characters, that’s a lot of combinations to work through. But it gives the game a completely unique feel that no other game since has been able to capture. Also returning in the revamped release is the Tekken Bowling mini game from the PlayStation 2 iteration. This simple, yet highly fun, Tekken Bowl mode allows you to do just what you think it does, bowl, adding some fun twists here and there. Sadly, Tekken Tag Tournament HD falls short on two very important fronts. First, the game installs on your systems HDD, and shows up on your XrossMediaBar like any other downloaded game. Unfortunately, you still need to have the disc in the system to play. Secondly, there is no online play included in the package. This is unfortunate and would have been a huge selling point to the old school players.

Next up in the package is the computer-generated Tekken movie, Blood Vengeance. This movie is meh at best, with the actual story elements lacking, but at least the fight sequences are really fun to watch. Which as any long time Tekken fan knows, that’s mostly what you get anyway. Blood Vengeance follows Ling Xioyou in her quest to find Jin Kazama. Again it’s meh, but for a Tekken fan still enjoyable.

Finally, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue is the last piece in this bundle. Which, in my opinion, is supposed to be the main selling point of this package. You get four characters Xioyou, Alice Bosckonovich, Devil Jin, and Devil Kazuya, along with two stages. In addition you get the option to map your buttons, but that’s about it. No online here either, nor is there even any practice modes or a moves list in the pause menu. Which, as far as I see it, is a really half-assed demo. It uses an updated version of the Tekken 6 engine, so most of the stages you’ll be in will be enclosed with walls, with a few multi-tiered stages thrown into the mix.

Tekken Hybrid was released with very little press. Unless you kept up with it on Tekken forums or came across it on a retailers website by accident, you’d most likely never notice it until you were in the store and saw the name Tekken on the cover of the box. Which leads me to believe this release was really just a way to rake in some quick cash. At only forty bucks, they probably feel you’ll drop the bones for this on the spot.

I’m calling this one a waste of money. If your a hardcore Tekken fan, this is for you. If you missed out on playing the original Tekken Tag Tournament, or no longer have a PlayStation 2, this is also for you. That said, if you have a bit of patience and can hold out for a bit, I have a feeling Tekken Tag Tournament HD and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue may be popping up on PlayStation Network for a lot less than forty bucks.

Verdict: Tekken Tag Tournament HD still has solid game-play and is worth your time, but without friends, it might be missing the mark.

Being a guy who gets his games from the bargain bin, sometimes years after they come out due to a very tight budget, there are only a few franchises that I must have and actually plan ahead to get. My point? This is definitely one of the few franchises I mark my calendar for and will shell out the $60 to get right away.

When I played Arkham Asylum I was blown away by the dark and gritty tone of that game. Not only was it a masterfully written by Paul Dini, creator of one of my favorite villainesses, Harley Quinn, and celebrated writer of many of the Animated Series episodes and comics, but the game looked amazing!

Here we are nearly two years later and Paul has done it again…almost.

Don’t get me wrong. The game is phenomenal, and in this review I will go over the Pros (many), and the cons (more than I thought there would be).

When the game begins, you start as Bruce Wayne being escorted into Arkham City as a prisoner. Right away you can sense that this game is going to be much more ambitious then Arkham Asylum and the real feeling that shit just got real. Immediately you are greeted by the first “so called super criminal”. I won’t spoil it by saying who, but that moment sets the tone for the whole game. Nearly every criminal in the Batman mythos makes an appearance in this game whether it is as a boss, mini boss, or just a cameo. After your brief time as Bruce, you call Alfred to get your gear delivered and that’s when you finally get to don the suit and become the Dark Knight.

Now at this point you actually start the game with all the gadgets you had by the end of Arkham Asylum sans the zip line. You also get some new toys along the way that make toasting baddies (insert “Don’t tase me bro!” clip here) even more satisfying. There are more new gadgets, but you will see for yourself. Also added to the ass kicking arsenal is a more natural feeling flow to the CQC with new animations and moves added just to prove that the Batman owns you like the little girl that you are.

The whole of Arkham City is beautiful in its design and nuances. The city is filled with subtle references to the Batman lore from the Ace Chemical Company where, in some stories, The Joker came into existence, to Crime Alley where a young Bruce watched his parents murdered, signified by a chalk outline and sad music. Hell, you can even get a trophy for stopping to pay your respects here.

Another cool feature to this game is the ability to play as Catwoman. Sexy Selena Kyle has her own set of unique baddie beating moves that also make use of her whip (meow) as part of the combos. Apparently she has also pissed off The Riddler at some point because he has left trophies around Arkham City for her too. Unfortunately, she is only playable for four missions in the entire game.

Each faction has its own set of goons dressed up like their respective bosses. Loyal only to whomever might be winning the turf war at the moment, you can also listen in on their conversations to help determine who they serve and also hear updated comments based on your progress in the game a la Grand Theft Auto.

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return as Batman and The Joker respectively in this game once again reprising their roles from Arkham Asylum. As always, Mark Hamill’s Joker is genius and still my favorite to this day. Asylum alum Arleen Sorkin did not return for unknown reasons but was replaced by one of my favorite female voice actors, Tara Strong. Tara picks up the mantle of the sexy psycho Harley Quinn without missing a beat.

The challenge maps are back where you can play as Batman and Catwoman. You can also play as Nightwing if you want to shell out the extra cash but I hardly think it’s worth the price.

Now to the bad stuff.

Bad is a relative term here because it isn’t that anything is necessarily bad, certain things I noticed just bothered me a little bit. For example, as I stated above: YOU ONLY GET TO PLAY CATWOMAN FOR FOUR LOUSY MISSIONS! One of them is literally the amount of time it takes you to kick three guys asses. Not only that but IF you didn’t buy this game new or even if you DID buy it new and don’t have an internet connection, you don’t get to play as her anyway. Plus, most of her dialogue sounds like a bunch of cheesy one liners straight out of the old 60’s sitcom.

Another gripe I have is with the Riddler side missions. They made it 100 times more difficult to get the trophies, which is fine, but they made it so that you can’t progress with Riddler’s story line unless you get most of them. Why not make them two separate goals? It’s bad enough that there are 400 plus of them in this game but unless you want to spend countless hours getting them, you will have to just live with the fact that the Riddler is indeed smarter than you.

The main story, although amazing, seemed to go very quickly and I almost feel like they tried to cram every single bad guy from the Bat’s franchise into it which only serves to not give the really great ones proper story development. I’m looking at you Joker/Harley.

All in all this game is a must have for anyone who even kinda liked Arkham Asylum. Not only does it improve on almost everything from the first game, but it’s story brings some closure to the night spent in the asylum. Also, if you know where to look, the next game is hinted at to have a crazy new variable added to the situation. So get out there and get this game. It’s worth every penny.

Metal Gear HD Collection includes:

Metal Gear 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2), Metal Gear 3: Snake eater (PS2), Metal Gear: Peace Walker (PSP)

When Metal Gear Solid first hit the Playstation back in 1998, it defined the stealth action game genre. Needless to say I have been hooked ever since. So when I heard there was going to be a Metal Gear HD collection, I was as giddy as a school girl. Unfortunately, Metal Gear Solid was not included in the North American release of this collection. Japanese versions do include a Metal Gear Solid download code for PSN but DO NOT get Peace Walker. What we do get was a graphically updated version of a few of the best games on PS2 and PSP.

Firstly, I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only were Metal Gear 2 and 3 in HD now, but they were also the updated versions of the games that came out after the initial release. Updated to 1080p resolution and 60 fps, and to those trophy junkies out there, full trophy support is included on all 3 titles. Metal Gear 2: Substance and Metal Gear 3: Subsistence both come with extra features not present on the original release.

This version of Metal Gear 2 comes with the added content of Casting Theater, VR Missions and Boss Survival from the original Japanese version. Likewise, Metal Gear 3 comes with the Snake vs. Monkey mini game, all the extra camouflage and face paints, free 360 angle camera, spoof cut scenes, the European Extreme difficulty level and trailers from the Konami website.  Also included are the MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (still in all their 8-bit glory) bringing the total of games in this collection to five.

The first game I tried was Metal Gear 3. Its Bond-esque feel and humor along with the captivating story make it my personal favorite of the series. Right off the bat I can see the much improved frame rate gives it a much cleaner feel in movement and environment. Gone are the sometimes fuzzy and jerky motion of the PS2 version. Cut scenes especially seem to look slightly prettier even though the HD upgrade makes the lip sync, already painfully muppet like, even more prevalent and that goes for all 3 games here.

Having hardly played Peace Walker on PSP but playing Portable Ops, I had very little to go by as far as comparison. Although it felt very much like a PSP title, it looked fantastic overall. It even looked as good as MGS4 in some parts. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the animated cut-scenes although I understand the need being as this was a PSP title. I was almost hoping they would recreate them with the game engine used in the game. Its a silly dream I know.

Metal Gear 2 didn’t have the same wow factor graphically as the other two games but I chalk that up to it being so much older than the other games. The frame rate, of course, is much improved and the smoothness is obvious. Even for its time, it still looks pretty good.

In sum, I would call this a must have collection for any Metal Gear fan out there. Not only is everything much prettier, but this consolidation of games, now available to those of us out there not able to get those elusive PS3s that are backwards compatible with PS2 games, is a great way to dust off an old set of classics.

Now if I could only get Mr. Kojima to consider remaking Metal Gear Solid with the MGS4 engine. I mean come on! You already have half the game built in MGS4!

Single Player Review -Sergio Lugo II

Last we saw Price and Soap, they had just killed Lt. Shepherd and had vowed to find Makarov. Obviously Modern Warfare 2 was not designed to be the end of the story. MW3 picks up right where MW2 left off. Soap has been stabbed and both him and Price are in pursuit of Makarov. Like the previous games, the single player campaign has very few slow points. The action is fast, and the story is shocking. Everything that happens feels like its on a constant drip of steroids.

The moment in Call Of Duty 4 when Sargeant Jackson is killed by the nuke, sets the tone for the Modern Warfare series. It shows that nothing is off limits and that anyone can die. This sentiment was carried through MW2, and is present in MW3. This design choice is prevalent in the begining of the game when you are battling through New York City and again when fighting in London. Much like Uncharted, the meat and potatoes of MW3, are the set-pieces. From the gun fight in a crashing airplane to the traversal of a freshly collapsed building, one of Infinity Ward’s strengths is making memorable moments and MW3 carries on this tradition.

Many players may be turned off by the ultra linear story and the large number of turret gun sequences, but both of these contribute to the greater plan of crafting a specific experience. Its an experience that’s hard to find seams in that promotes binge 4 hour play sessions. Its easy to complain about aspects like short length, stagnant graphics improvement and static gameplay improvements, but those things aren’t why a player comes to Call of Duty.

Multiplayer is clearly the star of the show here, and single player experience doesn’t have to be awesome, that’s just a plus. Single player rocks a concentrated memorable experience, with tried and true gameplay, and concludes an exciting story.

Verdict – This is exactly what MW3 needed to be, if a player is foolish enough to expect something different, then they should probably look somewhere else.

Multi-Player Review -James Knotts

On the whole, the multiplayer for MW3 is what you’ve come to expect, fairly good level design, tight responsive controls, large amounts of play modes, and the ability to party up with friends and go. There are however, a few changes to the formula.
First up, on the PS3 version you can now have two people play online split-screen…finally. That’s right, you and your buddy can both hop into the fray together on the same screen off the same system. Unfortunately there is no ability to have the second person load their online profile. They will be (guest)1, and go with whatever perks and unlocks the main account has.

The level system has been changed up as well. Each weapon has a level system to it now. So, instead of having to get so many kills to unlock attachments or weapon perks you simply level up the weapon. There are also secondary perks you can unlock to use like having 2 attachments, reduced recoil, faster movement while aiming down the sight, etc. I personally enjoy this setup much more than how it was done previously. The amount of weapons has been upped as well. Old favorites like the M4A1, MOE60, Barrett 50 cal return with some new kids on the block such as: FAD, PP90M1, AS50, and KSG 12. However you like to play, whether it be run’n'gun, or sit back and camp, your sure to find a loadout that completely fits the bill.

Kill-streaks have been revamped as well. You can now pick the kill-streak setup you want. There is Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault is just that and its all about aggression. It has predator missile strike, AC-130 gunner, PAV Lo, etc. Support is obviously more support based. Also when you die your killstreak count is not reset, so you can get that big Juggernaut suit even if, like me, you die all the time. Specialist is an interesting set in that as you get kills you unlock perks, like faster reload, scavenger, ninja, and so on. This basically means that if you’re awesome at running around killing and not dying, then this set is for you.

The game modes have been split into two sections in the menu section. You choose between Standard and Advanced modes. Advanced adds the ability to pick Hardcore mode where Standard is of course your normal game modes. Infinty Ward has added in a new game mode called “Kill Confirmed”. This is TDM with a twist, when any character is killed they drop dogtags. These dogtags must be collected to move the points system forward in your teams favor. If you see your buddy drop you can grab their tags and deny the other team the kill. This helps to make the game a bit more frantic, and gives youthe opportunity to set up traps and wait for the other team to attempt to pick up a set of tags.

Verdict- Overall the multiplayer component of MW3 is excellent. With great variety in maps, modes, kill-streaks, and level rewards, there is always something happening to give you a sense of accomplishment.

Goldeneye 007 Reloaded is a re-release of a remake, in the loosest definition of the word. Goldeneye on the Wii felt like Activision compromising on a proposed deal to get the original Goldeneye released on Wiiware or PSN/XBLA. I can only imagine how much a of a nightmare the licensing of that game is. Reloaded is last year’s Goldeneye, up-res-ed and released on the big boy consoles, PS3 and Xbox 360. As someone that played the original, James was able to give his perspective on last year’s game in his review. My take is a bit different and it makes me feel like I’m doing it wrong.

From the start, Goldeneye Reloaded feels old. All the fight scenes, enemy placement, and level geometry are consistent with games of the 5th or early 6th generation, but I think that’s the point. Eurocom may be trying to capture the essence of the original without directly copying it. Once I got used to the feel of the game and the Playstation Move controls, it felt like what I would imagine a Call of Duty game on the Move would feel like. There’s alot of iron sighting, and the snap-to targeting is prevalent.

This is the piece of the game that feels fresh and current. By using the twitch mechanics of COD, the player is able to aim, and fire at about half a dozen targets in just a few seconds. This makes the 20-15 enemy gun battles comfortable and in most areas extremely easy. If you’re carrying a shotgun and you iron sight alot, you are a murdering machine, and boy is it satisfying. What I’m saying is that if 1997′s Goldeneye and 2007′s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare had a lovechild it would be Goldeneye: Reloaded.

One of the goals Eurocom had when adapting the the Goldeneye story, was to make it fit into 2010, by adding modern tech and removing outdated plothooks (I.E. Cold War references). This they nailed. Bond’s smartphone and terrorist plotline make the story fit a current time frame. Visually, Reloaded doesn’t look great. It looks better than it did on Wii, but considering the level of current gen graphics, the effects are hit and miss.

Another thing I was pleased with was the stealth gameplay. Outside of Assassin’s Creed, I typically loathe stealth gameplay mechanics. In Reloaded, the stealth is natural and fast paced. In addition to the stealth hand to hand takedowns, your silenced pistol can be used to off enemies with out alerting other guards.

A headshot kills guys, but a shot anywhere else on an enemy’s body triggers a audio queue, basically telling you that you have about a 2 seconds to finish this guy off or he’s going to start alerting his buds. This period of time should be used to put 2 more bullets in his back. This whole delay mechanic is a nice alternative to the “you miss one shot you’re dead” stealth that’s in other games.

I enjoyed Goldeneye more than I thought I would and that experience was greatly enhanced by Playstation Move. Sony should really be handing out the build tools for that thing for free. As much as I liked it, I couldn’t help but think that Goldeneye Reloaded was not made for me. As someone that didn’t play the original and has never seen the movie, I’m sure Activision wasn’t thinking I would be interested.

This brings me back to the “I’m doing it wrong” statement. This game is supposed to scratch an itch, its supposed to cater directly to players of the original game. Playing this as a full on current gen release is missing the point. Hell, Bond doesn’t even have grenades to throw. What kind of FPS comes out in 2011 without throwable grenades?

Seeing serveral difficulty levels, including 007 Classic is interesting. On normal Bond relies on Halo style regenerating health.
On 007 Classic, he has health packs. I’m sure a few old players will eat this up, but a some of the sequences in the game are unforgiving and I can see them getting stupid hard with health packs. By modern standards Goldeneye is decent at best, but considering the nostalgia attached to the story and game, I can see many people diving pretty deep into the experience.

Verdict: You already know if you are interested in Goldeneye Reloaded.

To be fair, the Just Dance craze started it all, but Dance Central all but perfected it. As a genre, guitar games even in their heyday had nothing on the current market saturation of tween dance games. Most of those games are direct Just Dance rip-offs, or spin-offs, but since the release of Kinect and Dance Central, even the powerhouse Just Dance 3 has moved to a full body motion detecting game. Dance Central not only was THE dance game last year it was also the proof that Kinect works.

Dance Central 2 improves on the formula in several meaningful ways. From co-op to a story mode, Harmonix has been busy fleshing out the previously skeletal experience of Dance Central. If you played the original you know exactly what to expect, dancing. The co-op dancing can get a bit fishy in small rooms and the only real way to get the best results out of 2 players dancing is by renting a gymnasium or playing in an empty garage. Obviously, these are limitations in place by Kinect and the game does its best to overcome them.

With the song import feature and a solid soundtrack the Dance Central library is getting better and, like Rock Band, larger. Also, all DLC from the original is compatible. Dance Central 2 is truly a better experience, which fans of the genre will love. Harmonix continues to be the yardstick to which everything’s quality is measured.

Unfortunately, does that even matter? It kind of feels like Harmonix is bringing a 3 wood to a mini-golf course. The main audience for these titles is teenage girls. Sure there will be your outliers that are serious about dance and will seek out the best possible game, but the mass market strategy is to sell games to non-traditional gamers and children. Typically the level of technical prowess that comes with Dance Central is unnecessary for this group as tweens are easy to please (I sight Twilight as my source).

Last year, Dance Central was the only serious Kinect based dancing game in town. This year they are not, by a long shot. The uninformed consumer will have a choice to make, which dance game to buy. When looking at the Wal-mart shelf, will they buy Just Dance 3, a game they have possibly heard of or will they grab something else out of the pleathora of dance titles out this year?

What makes Dance Central standout in the retail world…unfortunately nothing. Playing to a market that indulges themselves with gimmicks, Dance Central has none. There’s no celebrity endorsement, no movie tie in, no exclusive artists advertised. On the shelf it just looks like another Dance game. The marketing push from Microsoft is nice, but sadly, many players will be dancing to games that suck this holiday and there’s nothing Microsoft and Harmonix can do about it.

Verdict: That was more commentary, than review, but Dance Central 2 is a known quantity, if you like dancing, just buy it. You won’t be disappointed.

First off…this game is narrated by Patrick Stewart, yeah, THAT Patrick Stewart. Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about The War of the Worlds. It is currently available via Xbox Live Arcade.  Based on the H.G. Wells novel of the same name, this interpretation of story is not related to the 2005, $200 million grossing Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg film. Following closely to the art direction and atmosphere of the book, War of the Worlds seeks to capture the feel of the story while building a compelling gaming experience, and it almost succeeds.

Borrowing heavily from XBLA darling Limbo, The War of the Worlds is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer. Your character, is traversing post-Martian invasion-London. He’s not only trying to survive, but also trying to find his family. During this journey, he faces several different types of Alien enemies and organisms. The puzzles are typically straight forward and there’s never a question as to where your character should be going.

What the game does well is atmosphere. Both the visuals and sounds are amazing. Its not a graphical powerhouse, but more an artistic canvas. Your character is for all intents and purposes faceless and his surroundings are the real star of the show. The Alien tripods are creepy and destroyed London is gritty and haunting. Like independent games have proven in the past, they are the current venue for artistic freedom. In regards to the atmosphere of the game, there are a lot of really cool things going on in The War of the Worlds.

The sounds design is epic in scale and fits both the time period of the game and the sci-fi nature of the fiction.  Patrick Stewart sounds like Patrick Stewart.  Him being from England helps the narration feel genuine, almost like he’s visited the landmarks he’s mentioning in the game.   

Like Limbo, the gameplay relies heavily on trial and error. Aside from small hints on the load screens, no direction is given on how to kill anything, or avoid traps. Expect to play sections numerous times until you find out how to get through. I died alot during my playthrough. Part of that was due to the difficulty of the game, but most of the dying was due to the infinitely clumsy controls. I can’t count how many times my character did something I was not intending to do.

Whether it was taking too long to crawl, not grabbing a ledge properly or accidentally leaping off a building, the controls are too responsive in some places and unresponsive in others. This combined with the over prioritization of animation sequences give the game a watered down pace and left me as this game’s victim rather than participant.  The closest game I can compare it to is the classic Prince of Persia. Fundamentally Prince of Persia is great game, but nearly broken controls make it damn near unplayable. 

Had the controls been more refined, the developers could have gotten away with better puzzles and more combat. As it stands, the puzzles are too straight forward (with the exception being a gas-mask handoff “puzzle” that just doesn’t make sense) and for the most part the combat is completely optional. I’m not saying the game needs something deep like a God of War or Devil May Cry combat engine, but it would have been nice to actually fight the Martians, instead of just sneaking up on them and putting an axe in their head.

Like most XBLA games, The War of the Worlds is not going to please everyone.  If everything you just read excites you, then get The War of the Worlds, you’ll love it. I can honestly say the only major flaw in the game is the erratic controls. If you are a big fan of The War of the Worlds as a story, and really like Patrick Stewart, this may be right up your alley. If you get frustrated quickly and don’t like replaying areas for dumb reasons, pass on this one.

Verdict: The fact that Tom Cruise is not in the game actually makes it better.